TOP 6 WAYS TO TELL IF YOUR PET IS OVERWEIGHT!

Pet obesity is currently one of the top health concerns for our pets, and a quick assessment of optimal body weight could be the start to lengthening your pet's life.
Here are some tips to tell if your pet tips the scale, and what to do about it.

Working with your vet to rule out other medical problems is the first step. While some drugs and some disease conditions (i.e. hypothyroidism) may cause a pet to be overweight, more often obesity is caused by overfeeding and high calorie foods. Your vet will help you devise a diet and exercise plan for your pet to get on the track to health and fitness.

1. Pet has lost his/her "figure"
When viewed from above, your pet's back should show some gentle curves: a gentle dip after the ribs (waist area), a gradual slope to the base of the tail. When viewed from the side, you should see a "tucked up" area just before the hind legs (not a flat line along the base of the belly). Your pet may have a haircoat the prevents easy viewing, but gently running your hands along the top outline of your pet should reveal these natural curves.

2. You can no longer feel your pet's ribs
With gentle fingertip pressure, you should be able to feel your pet's ribs easily. If you can only feel cushioned body wall, your pet is carrying too much weight.

3. Your pet is constantly searching for food/begging for treats
A pet who is always on the lookout for food versus a pet who is comfortable "free feeding" is more likely to be overweight. If possible, it is best to offer food free choice (always available). This is not always possible in mixed pet households and with pets who are always craving their next meal, but it will usually encourage a healthier outlook on food consumption. Restricting high calorie treats is also a good way to reduce weight.

4. Your pet is uninterested in, or unable to exercise and keep up with you
Pets of optimum body weight and in good health are usually up for a brisk walk or a game of Frisbee or catch anytime their owner is willing. Pets who are overweight may have the intention, but are soon panting excessively or taking frequent rest breaks just to keep up. Carrying extra body weight can lead to extra pressure on the joints, heart, and lungs. Additionally, other organs, such as liver and pancreas can be affected; leading to diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus.

5. Your pet suffers more from the summer heat than other animals
In addition to the body having to work harder just to move around, overweight pets overheat easily. Fat is a great insulator. This condition is known as "heat intolerance", and will put overweight animals at greater risk for heat stroke.

6. Your pet is deemed to be at greater risk for anesthesia and surgery
Some drugs are absorbed into the fat layers. This means that more drug is required to induce/maintain anesthesia than an animal of normal weight and it takes longer for the anesthesia to wear off. If the pet is undergoing a surgical procedure in the abdomen, the increased layers of fat make surgery more difficult; it is harder to visualize organs and other tissue, to securely ligate (tie off) vessels, and to close the incision working with extra layers of fat.

By Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM, About.com Guide

Gliding Ants

We already know some species of ants can solve puzzles, some species can do math, and others even have built-in GPS. Add the ability to fly -- or glide -- to safety, and ants are practically the superheroes of the insect world. And there's no magic suit (or appendage) necessary.

The Cephalotes atratus species of tree-nesting ant can perform directed aerial descent, according to a recent article in Integrative and Comparative Biology. Simply put, when these ants find themselves falling from extreme heights through a forested canopy, they can zip themselves out of a free fall and back into the safety of the treetops -- no wings necessary.

Gliding animals are nothing new to science. Fish, lizards and even snakes have been known to "fly" without wings. But what makes these ants so unique isn't what they have, but what they don’t.

"In general, all the gliders that we know of have some aspect of their body shape that shows that they have some kind of aerodynamic potential... . But when you look at one of these ants there’s nothing obvious about it that would suggest that it should do anything but fall straight down," said University of California at Berkeley researcher and PhD candidate Yonatan Munk, who co-authored the paper with Stephen P. Yanoviak and Robert Dudley.

Munk has been lugging specially designed wind tunnels into the Amazonian rain forest since 2007. With these vertical wind tunnels, researchers have been able to capture, on video, the exact movements that allow the ants to control their glides.

The key to directed aerial descent is in the back legs and rearend. C. atratus stretches its legs out, raises them, and then lowers its "gaster," the posterior body segment: the butt. Voila! The ant has just become an aerodynamic, perfectly controlled backward-glider.

"It's fairly similar to what human skydivers do -- the principles are similar," Munk said. "It creates a mini parachute out of your own body, heavy parts low, and light parts high."

But how do these ants see where they're going? As it happens, directed aerial descent is only possible in daylight and so far, research suggests that C. atratus is attracted to light-colored vertical objects. Munk says this makes sense, given the fact that many of the trees in the Amazon rainforest have trunks covered in white lichens.

Despite understanding the mechanics of the ants' movements, researchers can only guess as to why this particular species of ant developed gliding skills, while others did not.

An ant that falls from a tree isn't in danger of dying from the fall itself (although it can be hurt), but rather the conditions on the ground. During the rainy season of the Amazon, the ant could be eaten by a fish. In the dry season, it could be attacked by another species of ant.

They believe it comes down to the value of an individual worker to the colony as a whole. While hitting bottom in the rainforest doesn't mean certain death, it still means a loss in productivity.

"Avoiding the forest floor only also makes sense if the loss of a worker represents a significant decrease in the colony to collect a resource," Munk explained.

If that's the case, Munk said he expected to find more species with similar abilities. The only difficulty, he said, is trying to identify which ants can and can't fly with no obvious outward signs -- until a researcher catches them in action.

Discovery News Analysis by Amy Enchelmeyer
Photo courtesy of Stephen Yanoviak

National Veterinary Technician's Week

The theme of this year's NVTW is "Pets and Vets need Techs". Celebrating for one week every year solidifies the yearly commitment every veterinary technician gives to the profession of veterinary technology, veterinary assisting and veterinary medicine.

NVTW has been an annual tradition since June 1993 when a NAVTA ( North American Veterinary Technician Association) resolution was passed declaring the third week in October as NVTW. Activities to celebrate this week have been a focus of the celebratory efforts. The activities serve these fundamental goals:

•Educate the public about veterinary technicians and what we do

•Reinforce the value and professionalism of veterinary technicians

•Provide an opportunity for veterinary technicians to encourage one another for excellent work ethic and team building

•Acknowledge our quality relationship with veterinarians and other veterinary professionals

Paco, the wonder chihuahua, thwarts robbery

As armed men robbed a smoke shop in Altadena, Calif. on July 7, a small, but mighty chihuahua named Paco came to the rescue, barking and chasing the robbers out of the store.

The Los Angeles County sheriff’s department released surveillance video showing the robbery and the dog’s daring attack in hopes of finding the two men responsible. Even though the pup thoroughly frightened the robbers, they did manage to get away with some cash.

Paco is well-known in the area, his owner Duane Deer said on “Good Morning America.” He spends his days wandering around the neighborhood and hanging out in different stores, Deer said. Eric Knight, the store’s owner, said he was “shocked” by the robbery in the usually safe neighborhood and by Paco’s super-dog behavior. Paco, however, looked completely bored by his heroism, opting to sleep during most of his interview.

To watch the video, go to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/paco-the-wonder-chihuahua-thwarts-robbery-video/2011/07/19/gIQAQ0UfNI_blog.html

Original Cat Names

Admit it- your cat is worthy of the greatest name ever. Don't settle for 'Socks' or 'Kitty' when you could have one of these excellent names!

Celtic cat names for boy cats: Arthur,Brian,Corey,Drew,Gavin,Tristan,Tully
Celtic cat names for girl cats: Dallas,Pixie,Sabrina,Sienna

Irish cat names: Bailey,Blarney,Conan,Dempsey,Dougal,Hugh,Keegan,Murphy,Paddy,Rory

Spanish cat names for girl cats: Blanca, Bonita, Chi-Chi, Esmerelda, GabriellaIsa, Bella, Maria,Rosita,Sierra

Spanish cat names for boy cats: Alex, Gato, Hombre, Martin, Pablo, Pepe, Salvador, Sebastian, Senor

Nombres Espanoles for boy and girl cats: Feliz, Leon, Loco,Oso, Rico, Rojo

Persian cat names for boys: Buddha, Genghis, Maestro, Pharaoh, Prince, Ramses, Sphinx
Persian cat names for girls: Cleopatra, Fantasia, Fatima, Josephine, Nyssa, Sheba

Persian cat names from Persia: Asad, Babir, Cyrus, Noor, Ramesh

Greek cat names for boy cats: Anthony, Archimedes, Damien, harpies, Jason, Oedipus, Orion, Otis, Socrates, Titus, Troy
Greek cat names for girl cats: Athena, Goddess, Octavia, Omega

Neutral Greek cat names: Alpha, Basil, Cash, Clark

Japanese cat names for girl cats: Aiko, Aki, Akira, Kara, Keiko, Kia, Kiko, Mika, Miki, Suki
Japanese cat names for boy cats: Kai, Kimo, Kuro, Niko, Suzake, Toro, Suzaku
Japanese cat names for boy and girl cats:Haiku, Obi, Sake, Sushi, Tsunami

Egyptian cat names: Cleo, Pharaoh, Phoenix, Tut
Egyptian cat names for girl cats: Cairo, Cleopatra, Sheba, Sphinx
More Egyptian cat names: Bennu, Harpies, Ramses

More Celebrity Dog Names- by Breed!

Chihuahua Dog Names

Ceelo and Lolly - Adrien Brody
Maggie - Scarlett Johansson
Tinkerbell, Bambi, Tokyo Blu, Harajubu Bitch - Paris Hilton
Bit Bit, Lacy, Lucky, Snow White - Britney Spears
Luca - Pamela Anderson

Maltese Puppy Names

Jinxy - Eva Longoria
Marilyn - Anna Nicole Smith
Chloe - Lindsay Lohan
Samantha - Barbra Streisand
Daisy - Jessica Simpson's Maltipoo (Maltese cross Poodle)
Blondie - Ashlee Simpson's Maltipoo

Pomeranian Dog Names

Foxxy Cleopatra - Nicole Richie
Daddie - Geri Haliwell
Princess Pep - Courtney Love
Minnie - Sharon Osbourne

Pug Dog Names

Sid, Nancy - Jessica Alba
Mimi LaRue - Tori Spelling
Boo Radley - Jake Gyllenhaal's Puggle (Pug cross Beagle)

Cocker Spaniel Dog Names

Solomon, Sophe - Oprah
Buttermilk - Ashley Judd's Cockapoo (Cocker Spaniel cross Poodle)
Shih tzu Dog Name
Puppy - Anna Nicole Smith
Honeychild - Nicole Richie
Munchie - Beyonce

Yorkie Dog Names

Vida - Giselle Bundchen
Veronica - Joan Rivers
Jazzy, Juicy - Cindi Adams from the New York Post

Small Dog Names

Lulu - Joan Rivers's Boston Terrier
Licorice - Famke Janssen's French Bulldog
Coco Chanel - Reese Witherpoon's French Bulldog
Jackson P. Mutley - Mariah Carey's Jack Russell
Neal - Liv Tyler's King Charles Cavalier Spaniel
Stinky and Chui - Christina Aguilera's two Papillons
Max - Joan Rivers's Pekingese
Sugar Pie - Anna Nicole Smith
Noodles - Natalie Portman's Schnoodle (Miniature Schnauzer cross Poodle)

Animal Defense Mechanisms

1. Malaysian Ants: When feeling threatened, these ants internally combusts causing their bodies to explode! Contracting their abdomen upon threat, sets off poison filled glands on the sides of their bodies that kills their enemies once they are close enough!

2. Hairy Frog: This weird amphibian purposefully breaks its own leg to signal its body to dispense cat-like claws that pierce through the frogs toe pads once feeling threatened! Their is debate among scientists on whether these claws are retractable or not.

3: Horned Lizard: As its name might imply, this little guy does not use its horns to defend itself. Instead it fills its sinus cavity with pressure upon threat until the blood vessels in its eye burst, spraying blood all over its enemy!

4: Potato Beetle: Look out for their babies! These specie's little ones cover themselves in their own feces, which are highly toxic, to repel predators!

5: Bombardier Beetle: These small beetle use the power of their behind to ward off threats! It sprays boiling hot toxic bodily fluid from their anus that could nearly melt their enemies!

6: Hog-nose Snake: These smart serpents know how to play dead! They roll over onto their backs and pretend to be dead, in conjunction with excreting a foul odor, so that predators aren't interested in eating them.

7. Sea Cucumber: Don't let the harmless name fool you! This deceiving marine creature excretes sticky string-like filaments from its anus to capture predators and shoot toxins at it when attacked.

8. Larks: Ever try singing to an enemy? These courageous birds like to sing to predator birds when being chased as a warning that they will be difficult to capture so watch out!

9: Opossum: They are a creature of many talents! They defend themselves against predators by involuntarily going into a comatose-like state which is triggered by extreme fear making them look dead. Also, they will make themselves drool by working their jaw excessively which gives the signal to predators that it's sick!

10: Hagfish: Suffocation by ooze...yikes! This strange fish oozes a slimy substance from its pores when under attack that engulfs its predator ultimately suffocating it.

Resources: http://webecoist.com/2008/11/04/9-of-the-most-bizarre-animal-defense-mechanisms/
http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/strange-defense-mechanism-of-animals/
http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/opossum_defense_mechanisms.htm